Professional Workshops for NSW Drama Teachers

The UNSW School of Arts and Media presents two workshops for NSW Drama Teachers:

Verbatim Theatre PD workshop

This one-day workshop on Verbatim Theatre (Topic 5, Studies in Drama and Theatre, HSC Drama) extends the skills and knowledges of teachers who are interested in this important form of socially engaged performance that draws closely on recorded interviews and testimony. Through a combination of studio and seminar sessions led by a diverse group of experts, this BOSTES-registered professional development day showcases methods for making and critically studying Verbatim Theatre. It also provides opportunities for sharing and acquiring new methods and resources for helping HSC students to engage in this topic in a rich and informed way, particularly with regard to prescribed plays such as Tom Holloway’s Beyond the Neck (2007) and Talking to Terrorists (2006) by Robin Soanes.

Contemporary Australian Theatre Practice: Professional Development Workshop for NSW Drama Teachers

This one-day workshop on Contemporary Australian Theatre Practice (Topic 2, Australian Drama and Theatre, HSC Drama) explores rehearsal approaches used by theatre practitioners and how to translate these into teaching strategies for the classroom. The morning sessions are led by experienced Australian theatre director, Mary-Anne Gifford, exploring approaches to rehearsing Lally Katz’s Neighbourhood Watch and Daniel Keene’s Life Without Me. The afternoon sessions, led by Dr Jonathan Bollen (Theatre and Performance Studies, UNSW) and Tiffany Crittle (Head of Drama, Wenona), focus on gathering resources for teaching the plays, and processes for curriculum creation. The workshop is registered with BOSTES as professional development for teachers. Participants will learn practical approaches for teaching Australian drama in ways that engage with contemporary theatre practice.